A £6m plan for the Grassmarket was announced by
Edinburgh Council on January 7, 2006, following discussions between
the council, architects, local businesses, community groups and residents.

It is proposed to reduce the number of car
parking spaces, and open up the area for continental-style pavement Cafés.
A comparison was made with cities such as Prague and Copenhagen.

The area could also be used for themed markets,
and for street theatre and other events during the Edinburgh Fringe and
Winter Festival.

Detailed work will now be carried out on the
plans, and implementation is not expected to begin until 2007. The
initial suggestions appear to have been well received, though several
people and bodies have commented on the need for better public transport
into the area.

Evening News January 7, 2006: p.9

Amended Proposals Requested

January 2007

Following objections from residents and
shopkeepers in the Grassmarket, concerned particularly about the loss of
car parking spaces, Edinburgh Council has asked SEEL (Scottish
Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian) to amend its proposals for the
area.

Evening News January 26, 2007: p.21

Amended Plans Approved

April 2007

In April 2007, the Scottish Executive approved
the amended proposals for a £6m overhaul of the Grassmarket to make it
more 'pedestrian-friendly'.

- Improvements will be made to the remains
of the Flodden Wall.

- New seats and steps are to be installed
at the Covenanters' Memorial.

- Pavement are to be enlarged, giving more
space outside the shops and Cafés, but the number of car parking spaces
will fall from 164 to 111.

- The old cobble stones are to be retained,
following objections to earlier plans that called for their removal.

The work is to be carried out between September
2007 and December 2008.

Evening News June 13,
2007: pp.8-9

WestPortClosed

June 2007

For the past two weeks, the Grassmarket area of
Edinburgh has seen a marked reduction of traffic resulting from the
temporary closure of West Port following the collapse of a building being
demolished. West Port is likely to remain closed for a further two
weeks, to allow the demolition work to be completed.

Seeing the effect of the West Port closure has
polarised views amongst traders about what might be the effect of the
proposed overhaul of the Grassmarket.

Some believe that trade is likely to fall.
Others speak optimistically about the atmosphere seen over the past two
weeks, and the opportunity that the overhaul will offer to create a better
environment for tourists who visit the area..